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CANADIAN ARCHEOLOGY, 



/ 

STANLEY C. BAGG, F.N.S., 

MEMBER OF THE NUMISMATIC SOCIETIES OF LONDON, 
PHILADELPHIA AND MONTREAL \ 

CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF 

WISCONSIN J 

LIBRARIAN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF MONTREAL^ 

ETC., ETC. 



MONTKEAL: 

PRINTED BY DANIEL ROSE, 277 NOTRE DAME STREET; 

1864, 



0 T 



CANADIAN ARCHEOLOGY. 



{Reprinted from the Montreal Transcript.) 

The early history of Canada is a proper study for 
every true Canadian Patriot. It is replete with in- 
terest, not wanting in material, and embraces a field 
of research far more extensive than is generally sup- 
posed. In preparing this article the writer has quot- 
ed from various authors, and has also contributed 
several facts which have not before appeared in print. 
It is now admitted by geologists that America is the 
oldest world physically; the first land that emerged 
from the waters, being probably that range of high- 
lands which constitutes the boundary between 
Canada and the United States, on that portion of 
the line so seriously contested a few years ago. 
This primeval region stands partly in Canada and 
partly in the United States. Diodorus Siculus has 
written that the Phoenicians had navigated the At- 
lantic very far, and upon the authority of Josephus 
the transmigration of Phoenicians to what is now 
called America on a Syrian Fleet in the employ of 
Solomon is spoken of. That Canada was discover- 
ed by them seems probable from the fact of glass 
beads of accepted Phoenician manufacture having 
been found in an ancient estuary of the Copper age 
at Beverly, in Canada. Some stone hammers were 
found in the vicinity of Sherbrooke Street, Montreal, 
simiiiar in make to those represented on Egyptian 



Monuments and the curious may still see, in actual 
use, m the Parish of St. Laurent, on the Island of 
Montreal, •^tfft&fiflf* Chinese Shadoof, which 
is very similiar to the Shadoof of ancient Egypt. 

When discovered by modern Europeans, Canada 
was occupied by the following Indian nations. The 
Kilhstmons, Tetes de Boule, Assenibuals, Sioux, 
Hurons, Iroquois, Outaouas, and Algonquins. The 
uurons and Iroquois are in possession of Scythian 
and other ancient customs ; scalping, torturing and 
eating their prisoners, the construction of their 
canoes their implements of warfare, marching in 
Indian fyle, and their treatment of the infirm, are 
ail Scythian customs. The low ground in Montreal, 
J"™* 7 of the intersection of Ontario and 
j Urbam Stre ets, was formerly called La Cavee 
des Casse-Tetes, because it was there that the 
Indians despatched the infirm. 

^ I he ^ Ur ° nS and Iro( l uois were also in possession 
of the Mosaic law of intermarriage, and of a custom 
sanctioned by the law of the Hebrews, and which no 
other code contains, which is, that if a man die 
without leaving any children, his brother is obliged 
to take the widow, so that the name and house of 
his brother should not be extinguished. Some 
characteristic customs of the Lycians, compared 
witn those of the Hurons and Iroquois, have led to 
a conjecture that 'the latter sprung from the former. 

Tne Government of the Iroquois and Hurons is 
the same as that of the Lj clans. The part of thp 
power posssessed by the men is by special authoritv 
delegated to them by the women. As soon as a 



Chief dies, the matron who possesses the most au- 
thority after a conference with those of her own 
tribe, announces to the village his successor. The 
Chief elect is presented, at once, proclaimed and 
acknowledged, and afterwards presented to the other 
villages. No satisfactory information can be ob- 
tained from the Indians in general, touching their 
origin, unless it is faintly traced to the origin of 
mankind. The tradition of the Great Hare is re- 
ferred to by Charlevoix in his journal. He also re- 
fers to another tradition in which there is mention 
made of another deity who opposed the desings of 
the Great Hare ; this he thinks of foreign extraction, 
and so does Jones, the author of Indian Traditions, 
from the circumstance that the opposing god is call- 
ed the Great Tyger, which animal is not found in 
Canada. 

Vestiges of all the ancient religions were found 
in America, and the words Alleluia, the Allelujah 
of the Hebrews, and Ye-ho-wah, Ye-ho-vah, which 
last word, says Clarke, is probably the true pronoun - 
ciation of the ancient Hebrew word, Jehovah. 

The Iroquois had sacred fire and vestals, Virgins 
consecrated to their gods. The people treated them 
with great respect. Cartier saw at Ochelaga Lodges 
full of them. The Iroquois also, as well as the 
Hurons, had Hermits. Lafitan saw one of them at 
Sault St. Louis, near Montreal. He was a Huron; 
he had been made a slave by the Iroquois who 
spared his life ; he afterwards committed a crime 
and then took refuge at the village of La Prairie de 



Ia Magcielaine, above Montreal, on the other side of 
the River St. Lawrence. 

Authors of respectability bear testimony thatsigns 
of Christianity did exist in America when discover- 
ed by modern Europeans. A small Indian nation 
has been found towards Gaspe in the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence, on a river named Sainte Croix, which 
was called Crucientaux or Cross Bearers. 

The date assigned for the discovery of Canada by 
Cabot is April the 5th, 1499 Carrier was the next 
distinguished individual who visited Canada He 
was well received by " The Lord of Canada" who 
resided at Stadacona, which occupied a portion of 
the space on which Quebec stands, probably near 
the Old Ash Tree still living in the grounds at pre- 
sent belonging to the Ursuiine Convent. This tree 
was growing long before the time of Carrier and 
Cabot, and must be at least five hundred years old. 
< artier moored his vessels in the river St" Charles. 
He was the first who explored the shores of Canada 
to any considerable extent, and was the very first 
modem European who became acquainted with the 
existence of and entered Ochelaga, the germ of the 
noble city of Montreal. He landed below the curr- 
ent St. Mary, and passed through large fields of In- 
dian Corn on his way to the village — ii was near the 
mountain, which was even then tilled all around, 
and remarkable tor its fertility. He was particular- 
ly enchanted with the magnificent vie w presented 
to him from the summit of the mountain, and in 
honor of the King, his master, he gave it the name 
of Mont Royal, which with a change in its termin- 



ation, has been extended to the City, the Island and 
District in which it is situated. It retained the 
original name at least till 1690. The outline of the 
village of Ochelaga was circular, and encompassed 
by rows of palisades, only a single entrance was 
left, and that was guarded by pikes and stakes, 
Cartier's own description of the village taken in con- 
nection with the statements of the Jesuit Mission- 
aries, and the antiquities recently discovered, fix al- 
most beyond doubt the fact that the village was 
situated between Sherbrooke, St. Catheiine, Mans- 
field, and Metcalfe Streets. The learned Principal 
of McGill College University has written two very 
interesting papers on these important discoveries, 
wherein he proves the shape of the village and its 
position to be precisely similar to the descriptions of 
Cartier and the Jesuits. In excavating the above 
mentioned ground, the following Indian remains and 
antiquities were discovered :— Skeletons in a sitting 
posture, fragments of pottery, tobbacco pipes, stone 
chisels, stone hammers, whet-stones, a wampum 
shell, a barbed bone point of a fish spear, a bone head 
of an arrow, a bone needle, bone stamps for impress- 
ing patterns on pottery. Ashes and charcoal in- 
dicated the position of ancient fireplaces. Bones 
were found of the Beaver, Bear, Dog and Wolf, be- 
sides bones of fishes and birds. 

Last spring a discovery of Indian antiquities was 
made in another part of the City of Montreal, 
some men excavating for Mr. Shelton in a yard in 
Hospital Street, found several pieces of stone fash- 
ioned into pipe heads, or in the course of being so 



made Some of them he ve evidently been long used 

for although they may have been buried for center- 
ies, the scent of the tobacco clung to them still. 

Indian antiquities have been found at Mile End 
and Lachine near Montreal, and at Nicolet. In the 
township of Augusta, £ bout eight miles and a half 
north-west of Prescott are some ancient Indian 
works, about 80 rods in length, the greatest width 
being 20 rods. The westerly part has a half moon 
embankment, extending some ten rods across a 
neck of land terminating to the north in a swamp 
and to the south-west near the edge of a creek 
The eastern and southern portion* of this place 
where there are tumuli, and where from appear- 
ances, the inhabitants resided, is from 15 to 18 feet 
above and descends abruptly to the swampy 
grounds. On the north is a large tamarac swamp, 
the « Nation" river is about a mile to the north-east 
and the mterveningland is low, while The south-east 
and south ground rises gently at the distance of 50 
or 80 rods. The soil on the table land is rich, and 
at every step evidences are beheld of its having 
been once thickly inhabited. On opening the 
mounds they were found to be composed of earth 
charcoal and ashes, and contained human skulls 
and bones, horns, and skulls of deer, bones of the 
bear, unio shells, great quantities of earthenware 
some of which was of the most elaborate workman- 
ship, pipes, needles, and a part of a walrus tooth. 

In Edwardsburg near Spencerville, about half a 
mile west ot the village, on an elevated piece of 
ground, there is an Indian work similar to the fore- 

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going. This is well chosen for defence, overlook- 
ing the surrounding country to a great distance, the 
embankment is in the shape of a moccasined foot, 
the heel pointing to the south and the toes north, 
enclosing about three and a half acres of ground ; 
some parts of the embankment are from two co three 
feet high. Some pieces of pottery were obtained 
here, also pieces of clay pipes, one of them richly 
ornamented, an entire pipe, a piece of a human 
skull polished, and with several notches in the 
edge. The " terra cotta" found here is elaborate in 
its workmanship, and is as hard as the stoneware 
of the present day. A few rounded pieces of pot- 
tery in the shape of coin, about the size of a quarter 
of a doliar a nd J ess were also found, together with 
a beautifully polished bone needle, and a piece of 
ivory in the shape of a knife. Humboldt says that 
in Canada he had seen lines of defences and en- 
trenchments of extraord nary length, the work of 
some people belonging to the early ages, and that 
amidst the extensive plains cf Upper Canada, dykes 
of a considerable length, weapons of brass, and 
sculptured stones are found, which are the indica- 
tions that it was formerly inhabited by industrious 
nations. Vestiges of a proud and once powerful race 
are traceable in various parts of Canada, and are 
worthy of patient and thorough investigation. It is 
by the careful collection and preservation of facts, 
similiar to those contained in this paper, minute 
though they may be in detail, that a sufficiency of 
data can be gathered from which some future histor- 
ian may do justice to the earlier inhabitants of this 
country, and trace a history of Primitive Canada. 






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Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
O s n> Treatment Date: March 2010 



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